US stocks close lower as inflation data looms

Events: US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik hold the inaugural ministerial-level meeting in Seoul with the UN Command, the multinational military force established during the Korean war. Joseph Li, the state-appointed Catholic archbishop of Beijing, begins a five-day trip to Hong Kong. Taiwan’s Central Election Commission decides if Foxconn Technology Group founder Terry Gou has the minimum 290,000 signatures from eligible voters to run for president.

Economic indicators: New Zealand begins publishing additional monthly price indices for alcohol, tobacco, petrol and diesel products as well as airline ticket and hotel costs, to assist the central bank and economists to more accurately forecast quarterly headline inflation.

Corporate results: Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, SMC and Toshiba present second-quarter earnings, while Taiwan’s Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and China’s Tencent Music Entertainment Group release third-quarter figures.